Zidane Says Mbappé Is Ruled Out of Italy-France Nations League Clash With Hamstring Discomfort

Kylian Mbappé injury ruled out of Italy vs France Nations League match, Digi Mart USA News (Milan): France captain Kylian Mbappé has been ruled out of the Nations League match against Italy on Thursday, November 12, in Milan, coach Zinédine Zidane announced at his pre-match press conference.

Mbappé suffered a hamstring discomfort and did not train with the squad on Wednesday at the Centre national du football in Clairefontaine, just before the team left for Italy, and remained under medical care. Zidane said the team was taking no risks with the player.

“He felt a small pain and we are not going to take any risk. It is regrettable to lose players, but that is part of the game.

I hope it is not too serious and that we can have him on Sunday,” Zidane said, referring to the second match of the break against Turkey in Bordeaux. He added, “It is just a slight discomfort, and I think he can be fine for Sunday.”

The France squad has been weakened by a series of withdrawals before the gathering, including Ousmane Dembélé, William Saliba, Manu Koné and Jules Koundé, as well as Maxence Lacroix, Maghnes Akliouche and Estéban Lepaul. Since Monday, midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni, forward Marcus Thuram and defender Pierre Kalulu have also been ruled out.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini joked about the situation, advising his counterpart to rest the Real Madrid forward at San Siro. “It would be better if he did not play, so he can recover well ahead of the Champions League.

But France has such a pool of attackers, all very talented, that it is hard to say whether it is better to play Mbappé, another player, or a different combination. They really have five or six attackers, all excellent,” Mancini said.

Mancini also quipped that “if Michael Olise catches a cold tonight, it does not matter.” He added more seriously, “It is also great to play matches against such strong teams and such talented players. I think that is the beauty of football.”

France, forced to improvise in attack, will qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals with a win or a draw against Italy. A victory could also secure first place in the group as early as Thursday.